City Puts Price Tag on Preacher’s Free Speech

Markus Winkler – Unsplash

A Minnesota street preacher is fighting back after his city forced him to pay for a right the Constitution already guarantees him for free. Bryan Conwell, a Christian pro-life advocate, has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Benson over what his attorneys call an unconstitutional “price tag” on free speech. The case is a clear example of local government overreach colliding with basic First Amendment protections.

A Peaceful Preacher Faces Criminal Charges

According to CBN News, Conwell regularly holds pro-life and Gospel-centered signs on public property near the city’s farmers market. He waits quietly and speaks only to people who approach him first. The lawsuit describes him plainly: he blocks no one, threatens no one, and sells nothing.

Despite that, a city council member facilitating the farmers market demanded Conwell purchase a $20 commercial vendor’s license simply to hold his signs. When he returned this July and refused to pay again, city officials responded with legal action rather than dialogue.

Details from Charisma Magazine explain the city’s stated justification. Officials told Conwell he had to either leave the public parking lot or pay the vendor fee because market organizers claimed “exclusive use” of that space during business hours. That claim is central to the entire legal dispute, since a public parking lot cannot simply become private property because an event happens to be taking place on it.

Two Citations, Real Consequences

Conwell refused to pay on both July 9 and July 16 of this year, and police issued him a criminal trespass citation each time. According to reporting from Faithwire, each citation carries a possible penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, putting his total legal exposure at up to $2,000 and six months behind bars for peacefully holding a sign.

Perhaps most striking is a detail from Christian News Alerts, which reports that even one of the officers who cited Conwell admitted he didn’t fully understand the legal basis for what he was doing. The outlet notes that despite that uncertainty, the officer wrote the ticket anyway, following orders from a city that seemingly hadn’t thought through the constitutional problem it was creating.

That disconnect between an officer’s own doubts and the city’s insistence on enforcement captures the heart of this case. Mark Trammell, CEO of the Center for American Liberty, which filed the lawsuit on Conwell’s behalf, put it directly: the First Amendment doesn’t come with a price tag. Government officials cannot require citizens to buy permission before exercising a right they already possess.

A Pattern Worth Watching Closely

This case fits a troubling and increasingly common pattern across the country. Cities have grown more comfortable treating public spaces as something to be rationed out through permits and fees, even when the activity in question is peaceful religious or political speech. Once a government starts charging for constitutional rights, there is little reason to expect the practice to stop with just one preacher in one small town.

Legal experts have long warned that vague or selectively enforced permitting rules give local officials far too much discretion over who gets to speak and who doesn’t. When a city can decide, almost on a whim, that a public parking lot suddenly requires a commercial license for someone holding a sign, that discretion becomes a tool for silencing unpopular or unwelcome viewpoints. Courts have repeatedly struck down these kinds of arbitrary restrictions, but only when someone is willing to fight back in court.

Million Voices has tracked similar battles before. In a previous case covered here, a Houston pastor’s case reaffirmed that public sidewalks and open areas are traditional forums where Americans have always been free to speak, pray, and preach without needing government permission first. That principle applies just as clearly to a Minnesota parking lot as it does to a city sidewalk.

Scripture reminds believers that boldness in proclaiming truth has never been optional. As Proverbs 28:1 puts it, “the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Conwell’s willingness to keep returning to that farmers market, even after receiving two citations, reflects exactly that kind of courage in the face of government pressure.

Why This Case Matters for Every Christian

This lawsuit isn’t just about one preacher in one Minnesota town. It’s about whether local governments can quietly chip away at constitutional rights by dressing up censorship as routine permitting and fee schedules. If a city can force a silent, non-disruptive preacher to pay for the privilege of speaking, that same logic could be applied to any Christian expressing a public conviction.

Believers should pay close attention to how city councils and local ordinances treat public speech in their own communities. Supporting legal organizations that take on these cases, showing up at town hall meetings, and simply staying informed all make a real difference. As the Center for American Liberty warned in its own statement on the case, if officials can silence one man today, they can silence anyone tomorrow.

Conwell’s case now moves forward in federal court, where a judge will decide whether Benson’s actions violated his constitutional rights. Whatever the outcome, this story is a timely reminder that religious liberty and free speech require constant vigilance, even in the smallest of American towns.

As believers, we are called to pray for our leaders and our nation. Pray for wisdom for those making these decisions, and for safety and dignity for all people affected by them.

That’s where we come in.

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Rooted in the scriptural call to pray “for kings and all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1–2), the guide offers a thoughtful framework for interceding on behalf of our leaders: for wisdom in their decisions, integrity in their conduct, protection for them and their families, and a heart for serving the common good.

Whether you’re looking to deepen your personal prayer life or to gather others in praying for our nation, this guide is a meaningful place to start. Download it here: https://millionvoices.org/mv-prayer-guide-pray-for-government-officials/

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